Data processing has become increasingly important in an integrated circuit and semiconductor environments. The ability to properly manipulate data in order to trigger functions or tasks is critical for achieving optimal processing operations at designated time intervals. Additionally, it may be important to minimize space consumption on a corresponding integrated circuit as board space allocation/occupancy on an integrated circuit remains at a premium.
In synchronous integrated circuits, clock signals may propagate to multiple end points. In order to achieve higher performance and reliable functionality, propagation delays from any given clock source to all of its corresponding end points should be matched as closely as possible. It may also be beneficial to minimize propagation delays of the clock signal in order to reduce the effects of delay or imbalance introduced by manufacturing processes. Thus, the ability to provide effective processing operations in a synchronous environment, while minimizing space consumption on a corresponding integrated circuit, provides a significant challenge to integrated circuit developers and manufacturers.